Apple tree - Rubinstar variety

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of apple tree is provided which forms quality fruit having an attractive substantially uniform red coloration. The new variety originated in the Federal Republic of Germany as a mutation of the Jonagold variety. The fruit of the new variety can be distinguished from that of its mother variety by the exhibition of a more intense red coloration which covers a greater portion of the fruit surface in the substantial absence of striping. Also, the new variety forms fruit which colors approximately one week earlier than its parent. Such improved fruit coloring propensity is deemed to be of substantial commercial importance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new variety of the present invention resulted as a bud mutation ofthe Jonagold variety. Such Jonagold variety was introduced in 1968 byRoger Way of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva,N.Y.

The bud mutation of the present invention was discovered by me 1980 atGaiberg, Federal Republic of Germany. It was observed that an apple on asingle spur exhibited a highly attractive more intense red colorationthan other apples formed on the same tree growing in the orchard near myhome. Competing branches were removed in order to enable thisdistinctive spur to grow to its fullest potential. As a branch developedfrom the spur, it was observed that it continued to bear attractiveapples that were significantly more colored and earlier coloring thanother apples formed on the same tree. Had I not discovered and preservedthis new variety it would have been lost to mankind.

The new variety bears apples which (1) exhibit attractive red colorationover a greater proportion of the surface than the Jonagold variety withapproximately 70 to 90 percent of the surface being red, (2) are of amore intense red coloration than the Jonagold variety, and (3) colorapproximately one week earlier than the Jonagold variety. Such applecoloration of the new variety appears as a blush in the substantialabsence of striping as is exhibited by the Jonagold variety. Also, thenew variety exhibits a slightly more compact growth habit than theJonagold variety and its other previously reported mutations. In allother respects the new variety exhibits characteristics which aresubstantially identical to those of the Jonagold variety.

During 1983 buds from the sported branch were grafted asexually onto M9rootstocks. Trees resulting from this budding were found to exhibit thesame distinctive fruit characteristics as the original mutated branch.Subsequent propagations by me at Gaiberg, Federal Republic of Germany,and by personnel of Herr Nurseries at Meckenheim, Federal Republic ofGermany, have further confirmed that the distinctive characteristics ofthe new variety are stably and reliably transmitted to the thirdgeneration.

The new variety has been named the Rubinstar variety. Since 1987 treesof this new variety have been marketed in Europe by Herr Nurseries ofMeckenheim, Federal Republic of Germany. No trees of the new varietyhave been marketed in the United States prior to the filing date of thisApplication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the new varietyin color as nearly true as is reasonably possible to make the same in acolor illustration of this character. The photographs were obtained atthe Federal Republic of Germany.

FIG. 1 illustrates typical specimens of the foliage and fully-coloredfruit of the new variety while present on the tree.

FIG. 2 illustrates additional typical specimens of the foliage andfully-colored fruit of the new variety while present on the tree.

FIG. 3 illustrates the typical coloration of the fruit of the newvariety on Sept. 26, 1990 while present on the tree at Gaiberg. It willbe noted that the fruit bears an intense red coloration in thesubstantial absence of striping.

FIG. 4 illustrates for comparative purposes the typical coloration ofthe fruit of the earlier reported mutation of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,937on Sept. 26, 1990 while present on a tree at Gaiberg when subjected tothe same growing conditions as the tree of FIG. 3. It will be noted thatthe fruit of this mutation exhibits striping which is not as clearlyillustrated in the photographs of U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 5,937 and 7,146(FIGS. 10 and 11).

FIG. 5 illustrates for comparative purposes the typical coloration ofthe fruit of the mother Jonagold variety on Sept. 26, 1990 whensubjected to the same growing conditions as the tree of FIG. 3. Theconsiderably lesser coloration of the fruit when compared to that of thenew variety is apparent.

FIG. 6 illustrates for comparative purposes the coloration of the fruitof the Schneica variety (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,146) on Sept. 26, 1990when subjected to the same growing conditions as the tree of FIG. 3. Theconsiderably lesser coloration of the fruit when compared to that of thenew variety is apparent.

FIG. 7 illustrates for comparative purposes side views of typicalfully-colored fruits of the mutation of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,937 on theleft and the new variety on the right. It will be noted that the fruiton the left exhibits typical striping while the fruit of the new varietyexhibits an attractive more uniform red coloration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The observations described hereafter were made of trees growing atGaiberg and Meckenheim, Federal Republic of Germany.

Characteristics, such as tree vigor, bloom period, crop yield, diseaseresistance, and insect resistance, are substantially identical to thoseof the Jonagold variety. Also, the fruit of new variety exhibitssubstantially the same shape, size, flesh characteristics, flavor, andconfiguration variability, as the Jonagold variety. The growth habit ofthe new variety tends to be slightly more compact than that of themother Jonagold variety and its previously reported mutations.

As previously indicated, the fruit coloration of the new variety isdifferent that that of the Jonagold variety as well as that of theearlier reported mutations of U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 5,937, 6,148 and7,146. Such red coloration is more intense and of a brighter and purerred than the mother Jonagold variety and its earlier reported mutations.For instance, the red coloration covers more of the surface than thecoloration present on the fruit of the Jonagold variety even on theshaded inside of the tree with approximately 70 to 90 percent of thesurface commonly assuming such coloration on an average year. The newvariety exhibits a brighter and truer red fruit coloration than that ofthe browner red fruit coloration of the variety of U.S. Plant Pat. No.5,937. The intense red fruit coloration of the new variety develops as ablush while the coloration of the mutation of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,937tends to develop in a striped pattern. It is recognized by those who arewell familiar with the mutation of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,937 that itforms fruit having a striped red appearance with such stripes beingparticularly noticeable on the backside. Such striping is not clearlydepicted in the photographs of U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 5,937 and 7,146(FIGS. 10 and 11). However, the striping is illustrated in thephotographs showing typical fruit which is provided herewith forcomparative purposes. On the contrary the fruit of the new varietyexhibits the substantial absence of striping in all instances even onthe backside. The fruits of the Daliguy (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,148) andSchneica (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,146) earlier reported mutations of theJonagold variety are recognized to be significantly lighter incoloration than that of the new variety. Also, the fruit of the newvariety colors approximately one week earlier than that of the Jonagoldvariety.

When representative fully ripened fruits of the Jonagold variety, themutation of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,937, and the present variety wereanalyzed for color at the New York State Agricultural ExperimentsStation, Geneva, N.Y., using a Hunter Color Difference Meter thefollowing results were recorded:

    ______________________________________                                                           a    L                                                     ______________________________________                                        JONAGOLD variety     11.4   50.6                                              Mutation of United States                                                                          22.5   41.3                                              Plant Patent No. 5,937                                                        RUBINSTAR variety    30.4   37.2                                              ______________________________________                                    

The "a" meter reading provides a measure of redness with the higher thenumber being an indication of increasing red coloration. The Rubinstarvariety exhibits the most red coloration. The "L" meter reading providesa measure of the hue since it detects mixtures of different colors andgives an indication of the purity of the red which is being observed.The Rubinstar variety exhibits the lowest number which confirms thepurity of its red coloration.

Since the new variety exhibits a more intense coloring over more of theapple surface, the number of harvest pickings can be reduced to only oneor two per season. Commonly 90 to 95 percent of the fruit crop can beharvested during the first picking thereby leaving only a relativelysmall quantity of fruit for a second harvest. On the contrary the motherJonagold variety normally requires a greater number of harvest pickings.Accordingly, the new Rubinstar variety offers an economic advantageattributable to reduced labor costs in addition to the potential forearlier marketing and the formation of more attractive fruit.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of apple tree which is a mutationof the Jonagold variety, substantially as illustrated and described,having the propensity to form fruit exhibiting a more intense redcoloration which covers a greater portion of the fruit surface than itsmother Jonagold variety, forms fruit which colors approximately one weekearlier than its mother Jonagold variety, forms fruit having greatercoloration than the earlier reported mutation of U.S. Plant Pat. No.5,937 in the substantial absence of striping, forms fruit which issignificantly darker in coloration than the earlier reported mutationsof U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 6,148 and 7,146, and exhibits a more compactgrowth habit than the mother Jonagold variety and its other previouslyreported mutations.